Aftermath
by Swallow in the Cloud
Summary: Just a little Aang-centric oneshot on his thoughts after the last battle.


First off, I want to thank anyone who favorited or reviewed my last "**Avatar**" oneshot,_** He's the One**_. This is my second attempt at fanfiction so I hope it's not terrible. Contains Taang, Sukki, and Zutara if you squint, or maybe you don't have to.

**A/N: A:TLA** is property of its creators and Nick. These thoughts and musing are _**mine**_.

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I did it.

I saved the world and defeated Ozai.

I did it my way and no one else's.

I spared the man whom everyone else wanted dead.

I took away his bending, his energy.

At the time, I believed it was the most humane option. But during my attempt to be true to myself, did I actually lose sight of who I really am?

After our final battle, I notice how the others all look at me differently. There's almost a sense of pity in their eyes when they look at me.

Sokka and Suki won't say anything, only the usually praises and comments.

Zuko also does the same. He spends most of his time rebuilding the Fire Nation and questioning Ozai about his mother. Our relationship is almost like it was back before our encounter with the Sun Warriors, platonic and distant.

Katara won't tell me what's wrong either. After Mai left for Kyoshi Island with the Kyoshi warriors, Katara spends most of her time with Zuko, helping him with the search for his mother among other things.

Toph. Toph is different. She's frank and blunt. She will tell me what's wrong.

"Hey Toph… wasn't it a good thing for me to spare Ozai? I mean, I let him live and still saved the world, didn't I? So why is everyone acting so weird?"

"You don't get it, Twinkle Toes. There are worse things than death in the world. Sugar Queen and the others won't tell you what's wrong because they don't want to hurt you. But me, I'm gonna be brutally honest. Killing Ozai would have been more merciful than what you did to him."

"What do you mean? I let him live. How could killing him be better than that?"

"Yeah sure, you let him live, but you took away his bending. That's what's worse than death. You're a bender, Aang. You should know how dependent we are on our abilities to control our respective elements. You taking away Ozai's bending and letting him live is like you cutting off his arms or legs and forcing him to live to endure that pain forever. Sparky told me how much worse it'll be for a firebender to lose his bending than an earth, water, or airbender. It'll be worse because firebenders draw their powers from inside, from their inner flame. Their inner flame is what keeps them alive. You've put out Ozai's inner flame, Twinkle Toes. You've made him an empty shell."

"What! If it's so bad, then why won't Zuko tell me that?"

"Sparky knows better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. He doesn't like the fact that you spared Ozai, but if you hadn't, he wouldn't be any closer to finding his mom than I would be to seeing with my eyes. Sparky also doesn't want to be ungrateful, but he thinks you've create more trouble by letting Ozai live. Belligerent firebenders and Fire Nation rebels will be able to lead revolts in Ozai's name, and Sparky won't be able to stop them by ending Ozai. If he decides to execute Ozai, the world will look at him with suspicious eyes. They'll wonder why the Fire Lord wants to kill his own father when the Avatar had spared him."

"So what should I do, Toph? I want my friends back and I want to be able to help them, but I can't do that if they keep on leaving me out of the loop."

"Confront them. Tell Sugar Queen and the others that you're not a baby anymore so they can stop treating you like one. And one more thing, Twinkle Toes. Learn from this and move on. Don't dwell on it and wonder if you are a bad guy or not because of what you did to Ozai. You did what you believed was right at the time. That's the best thing we can. Don't keep questioning your actions, but don't become a hothead either. "

"Thanks, Toph."

"That's right, Twinkle Toes. Know that I'll always tell you what you **_need_** to hear, not what you want to hear."

"I know. That's why I came to you."

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**A/N**: So what do you think? Love it? Don't like it? Just click on the review button. Comments and criticisms are welcomed. However, I won't accept flames. If you flame, then that means you hate it right? So why on earth would you bother to waste your time reading something you hate in the first place?


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